I’m off to a friend’s birthday party this evening, so I thought I’d give you a snippet from the party scene in Relief Valve, my second Plumber’s Mate Mystery, which will be out in 2nd edition on 5th February.
Here, our narrator, slightly-psychic plumber Tom Paretski, has just met Morgan Everton, who’ll be a key figure in the murder mystery that’s about to kick off. Morgan heads a local writers’ group and isn’t very complimentary about his competition:
He glared at me. “A ragtag, unschooled bunch of self-published hacks and writers of”—his voice dropped in loathing—“genre fiction.”
I decided it was probably just as well I hadn’t mentioned I liked a good thriller every now and then.
“Some of them,” he added, bending low to breathe sherry fumes right in my face, “write erotica.” His voice was husky with prurient outrage, and his face had gone as red as his trousers.
“Well, sex is all part of the human condition, innit?” I said breezily, just to see if I could bring on a stroke. “If you’re doing it right, that is.”
“Sex,” Morgan said sternly, “should not be used to titillate.”
***
Don’t forget to check out the rainbow snippets Facebook group for more little excerpts from a whole host of talented authors.
***
Relief Valve – #2 in the Plumber’s Mate Mystery series
![ReliefValve_500x750[5]](https://jlmerrow.files.wordpress.com/2017/11/reliefvalve_500x7505.jpg?w=333&h=500)
If you dig up the past, be prepared for some dirt to stick.
The relationship between Tom Paretski, a cheeky plumber with a gift for finding hidden things, and PI Phil Morrison may only be a few weeks old, but already it’s under attack. Tom’s friends and family are convinced the former bully isn’t good enough for him, and they’re not shy about saying so.
Then Tom’s prickly older sister, Cherry, is poisoned at her own engagement party. Tom’s left reeling and not knowing who to suspect. Could it be her new fiancé, Gregory, a cathedral canon with an unfortunate manner and a taste for taxidermy? Or someone from her old writers’ circle, which she left after a row? Or could the attack be connected to her work as a barrister? Meanwhile, Tom’s honorary auntie’s left him a gag gift from beyond the grave that could be more significant than anyone knows.
Phil’s fighting against the clock to solve the case before somebody ends up dead. And with the poisoner hiding a dark secret, Phil’s terrified Tom could have been the target all along.
Amazon | Riptide
All the Plumber’s Mate Mysteries are now available to pre-order from Riptide Publishing.
Publication dates and pre-order links as follows:
- Pressure Head: 1 January, 2018
- Relief Valve: 5 February, 2018
- Heat Trap: 5 March, 2018
- Blow Down: 2 April, 2018
![locknut_200x300[4]](https://farm1.staticflickr.com/904/40247243490_3a97895e2a.jpg)
JL Merrow 
Hahhh. Yeah, right. Come off it, Morgan. 😉
Hahahahahahahaha! Oh, man. I think I probably understand Morgan’s feelings here just a bit too well.
Lol! I’m afraid I can’t recommend his writers’ group, however. Too much chance of ending up dead. 😉
Well isn’t he a barrel of laughs! LOL. Fun snippet.
Thank you! 😀
*snort* “just to see if I could bring on a stroke.” — Man, I love Tom Paretski! I’m counting down to May 12!
Aw, thanks! ❤
LOL! I think I’ve met him…I may have heard the same complaint or one very similar. 🙂
You’ve met him? My commiserations! 😉
LOLOLOL, love the “bring on a stroke” line. I just want to pat that Morgan on the head…maybe a little too firmly. 🙂
Lol! He deserves it! 😉
Bhahahhh. Ohhh, come off it, Morgan!
He gets worse… 😉
I love Tom and taken an instant dislike to Morgan. Nicely done.
Thank you! 😀
And whyever not, I wonder? Could you ask him, maybe? I’d love to hear the answer!
I’m sorry, but the person brave enough to ask Morgan about sex has yet to be born! 😉
Why do I suspect Morgan will soon be the corpse whose murder they’re investigating…
Pingback: Rainbow Snippets is writing what it knows | JL Merrow